Does intravascular ultrasound-guided optimized stent deployment improve immediate and 6-month clinical and angiographic outcomes in selected patients?
IVUS-guided optimal stent expansion may allow for safe coronary stenting without systemic anticoagulation, resulting in favorable immediate and 6-month outcomes.
These data confirm that, in selected patients, stents can safely be implanted without the use of systemic anticoagulation, provided optimal stent expansion is achieved. The exact role of intravascular ultrasound in the achievement of these results needs to be established by appropriately designed studies. In the meantime, intravascular ultrasound coupled with the Palmaz-Schatz stent incorporating a spiral bridge, may have contributed considerably to the immediate angiographic outcome, which in turn may explain the favourable clinical and angiographic outcome at 6 months.
Peter de Jaegere (Sat,) studied this question.